1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing composite non-distortable needlework materials having a uniform pattern of apertures forming a symmetrical gridwork intended to receive needle-directed yarn or thread for the purpose of creating a stitchery design thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Embroidery is the art or process of forming decorative designs with hand needlework. When an open-mesh canvas or apertured sheet material having a uniform gridwork is used to receive the needlework, the art form is characterized as "needlepoint" or "canvas embroidery." In needlepoint the stitches are formed by passing needle-directed yarn or thread through openings in the canvas or apertured sheet material in simple even stitches across counted threads or between counted apertures.
Needlepoint canvas, in its simplest form, is comprised of evenly spaced, durable warp and woof threads woven into a textile in which the holes or apertures between the threads are commonly equal to or larger in size than the threads themselves. The canvas threads are usually composed of cotton or linen fibers, particularly where the gauge of the canvas (number of threads per inch) falls within the popular range of 10 to 18. Fine gauge needlepoint fabrics normally have 18 to 40 threads per inch and are woven from silk or synthetic fiber threads in addition to cotton and linen fiber threads. Textile and fabric materials, manufactured for use as needlepoint canvas, are usually sold by their manufacturers in "bolt" (roll) units having a minimum of 5-10 yards of material length.
The principal types of needlepoint canvases in use today are designated "mono-" meaning one thread on each side of each hole or aperture and "double" meaning two threads on each side of each major hole or aperture. There are two basic forms of mono- canvases, i.e., "mono-floating" and "mono-interlock." With mono-floating canvas the warp and weft (woof) threads are merely woven over and under each other whereas with mono-interlock canvas the warp threads (in fact) comprise two smaller (weaker) threads that are knotted or twisted at each over and under crossing of weft threads. Because of the weaving method, mono-floating canvases are subject to greater slippage between threads so that the mesh pattern of the canvas easily becomes distorted, i.e., the holes or apertures become of non-uniform size and configuration with repeated folding and needlepoint working of the canvas.
Double thread needlepoint canvas (also referred to as "Duo" or "Penelope") is woven with the warp and woof threads that form the principal holes or apertures of the canvas each comprised of a pair of slightly spaced threads which form small apertures. Other fine woven textiles used in the needlework arts include cloths woven so that the individual threads are thicker than the holes between them, "even weave" cloth and "Congress" cloth.
Mono-floating and mono-interlock needlepoint canvases have continued to be used for most stitchery applications despite their many shortcomings and the problems they create for the needlepoint artisan. The principal shortcomings and problems include edge raveling, canvas distortion, aperture irregularity and roughness, and thread shifting. Great care must be taken when cutting bolt or yardage canvas into smaller popular use size canvas pieces to make certain that each cutting course or line follows a single line of canvas holes or apertures, i.e., between warp and woof threads, so that edge raveling is minimized. Edge raveling becomes an even greater problem when the ultimate shape of the needlepoint piece is not rectangular with its edges not in parallel with warp and woof threads.
Canvas distortion, stretching, sagging, extension and creep constitute major problems to persons performing needlepoint stitchery. If one closely observes needlework canvas as needlepoint stitchery is applied, it becomes obvious that the vertical and horizontal forces applied to the canvas threads (defining each aperture in the canvas) by the yarn-guiding needle and the yarn itself (as they pass through such apertures) are unequal. Although canvas manufacturers have attempted to reduce the distortion problem through the weaving of monointerlock canvases and by the application of sizing (stiffening) agents to the canvas threads, the problem remains. Distortion correction, after completion of the needlework piece, by straightening or "blocking" the base canvas (and the needlework it bears) must overcome many built-in failure factors. Blocking, a somewhat costly procedure, involves the stretching and straightening of the needlework to its pre-stretched size and shape.
The foregoing problems with needlepoint canvas materials have been obviated through the improved needlepoint materials described in my co-pending U.S. patent applications: Ser. No. 714,128, filed Mar. 20, 1985; Ser. No. 737,702, filed May 28, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,573; and Ser. No. 738,450, filed May 28, 1985. The needlepoint canvas materials disclosed in these applications are basically flexible, non-distortable composite laminated sheet materials comprised of a primary layer of non-elastic, open-mesh woven needlepoint fabric which has bonded to one of its faces a relative thin, non-elastic secondary mesh-stabilizing layer of sheer (semi-transparent) fabric. The primary layer is preferably a mono-floating or mono-interlock needlepoint canvas material or "even weave" or "Congress" cloth material. The sheer fabric secondary layer of the composite laminated needlepoint canvas material is preferably a non-woven, semi-transparent, random-spun synthetic fiber material. The secondary layer is of such a sheerness that the holes or apertures of the canvas primary layer remain distinct to the needlepoint artisan and the secondary layer is relatively thin so that it is easily penetrated by the yarn-bearing stitchery needle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a unique method for producing the flexible, non-distortable composite laminated needlework canvas materials described above.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the method of the invention taken together with the accompanying drawing figures.